


All the words we didn't know

by Fijou



Category: NCT (Band), WAYV
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Office, Dancer Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten, Fluff, M/M, Multilingual Character, Multilingual flirting, Pet Names, Producer Kun, Rivals to Lovers, Yes its both, baby yangyang but like not literally, theyre part-timers at a language school
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-20 20:00:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30010161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fijou/pseuds/Fijou
Summary: Kun knew he shouldn't have made it a habit to get into arguments with his co-worker, especially not in a language neither of them could actually speak.It all went wrong when Ten started calling the new intern baby.
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Qian Kun
Comments: 9
Kudos: 160





	All the words we didn't know

**Author's Note:**

> hello and welcome to this completely self-indulgent story that i felt like writing bc i recently started learning mandarin at uni as my 5th language
> 
> do i love using multiple languages as a plot device? yes. did i cringe every time i had to write a non-english phrase in this? also yes. (the translations for them will be in the notes at the end)
> 
> disclaimer!  
> 1\. these are fictional characters in a fictional setting which is only loosely inspired by real people. this is not meant to speculate about any nct/wayv members or their relationships
> 
> 2\. all wayv members are doing great with their languages irl the skills of the characters dont necessarily match that bc again! theyre Fictional
> 
> tw // consumption of alcohol

Kun had always liked his part-time job. At first however, it had started out as a plan to simply earn some money to be able to support himself while studying in a foreign country. Now that he had finished his degree in music production and unfortunately had to realise that even entering the music industry was a seemingly impossible task, he was all the more grateful that he got to keep his job and was allowed to increase his working hours to make rent while his student loans were slowly running out. He was technically no expert in this field of work but he was always diligent and dependable, his own experiences helped him adapt to the environment too. It was a language school after all.

Their building was located near the university Kun had studied at and through business deals and connections they were closely related to the different institutions on campus, especially those with a focus on linguistics and foreign languages. The language school's students and staff alike were largely made up of people studying at that very same university. Considering all of these aspects Kun was well aware that he was lucky to have a job where he felt comfortable, even if it wasn't what he'd chosen for his major. There had been a time where he considered a degree in literature and linguistics too so at least it wasn't too far off from his interests. That was more than a lot of other adults could say about their jobs.

His tasks were mostly focused on administrative work or tending to the individual problems of the students. He was a counselor of sorts because he had earned the trust of both the students and his co-workers. And everything was going well for the most part, until Liu Yangyang joined their team through an internship and Kun's fragile state of peace was irreversibly disrupted. Yangyang was a bright kid, a few years younger than Kun and only just starting with his first internship at the language school that he'd managed to obtain despite his only basic korean skills. The fact that he spoke five languages in total to varying degrees surely made up for that. It was impossible to dislike him and Kun couldn't deny that he felt a sense of protectiveness and responsibilty over all the chinese students, even more so when they were as funny and underlyingly kind as Yangyang. As much as Kun tried to help everyone, he was grateful for them too. Seoul was a big city, almost dauntingly so when language barriers between people seemed unbreachable. It was one of the reasons his own little desk on the second floor of the school's building had started to feel like his small studio apartment probably should have, like home.

So it wasn't really Yangyang's arrival that had doomed Kun's carefully crafted idyllic image of the place, it was the moment Yangyang had met Ten. The two were together now too, lounging around the desk where Ten worked and laughing so loudly that Kun had lost all hope to concentrate on the attendance list he was supposed to copy into their online system. Kun gripped the pencil he was holding a little tighter when he crossed a guy named Lee Mark, who was taking one of their japanese courses, off the sheet and typed his name into the laptop with more force than necessary. Ten wasn't a terrible person to have as a colleague if Kun looked past the occasional lack of motivation and the drawings he found on the back of almost every document the guy worked on. He was incredibly friendly towards everyone except Kun, who'd been wary of him ever since they first met and Ten had told him his korean was great. It had felt like a backhanded compliment regarding something Kun was still self-conscious about, especially because it came from someone who spoke with an accent too. And while Ten obviously had a talent for languages he was less keen on the propriety and seriousness that was required of him while working at a language school. He always jumped between languages and mixed in english words where his already advanced korean failed him. All of it, Ten with his natural talent and big smiles, made Kun's head spin.

The worst of his problems however had only occured once Yanyang and Ten had gotten closer over the past month or two. They spoke korean at the office out of respect for their co-workers but they slipped into english more often than not and one of their habits was even more obnoxious and distracting than their loud laughter. Just as Kun was thinking about it, they did it again.

"Hey baby", Ten said in english before switching back to korean casually, "can you hand me the water bottle from my bag?"

Completely unfazed by the older's choice of words Yangyang reached into the bag next to him and held out the bottle for Ten to take.

"Thanks baby", Ten exaggerated his words with the way he tried to ruffle Yangyang's hair. His attempt was easily blocked and only then did what he said seem to sink in. He'd said it all in english this time and Kun probably shouldn't have but he felt relieved to know that he was at least able to understand basic phrases in the language. Of course he wasn't listening to them at all, but he faintly noticed that Yangyang replied in korean.

"Seriously when will you stop calling me that", he complained but the pout on his face didn't do much to support his argument, "I'm in my twenties."

"I'll stop calling you baby when you stop being so... baby", Ten explained in his usual mix of korean and english. There was a short pause in their conversation and Kun reminded himself to look at the next name on his list.

"I literally have no idea what that even means", Yangyang replied after a few seconds and Kun felt inclined to agree.

Half an hour later when Kun had finally finished transcribing the whole attendance list and updated it with the the test scores of all the students he overheard a similar conversation again. To his own dismay, this time he couldn't avoid the situation and just glare at them from the safety of his desk. After putting all this work into typing the physical copy of this sheet onto his laptop he now had to print out the updated version. Objectively that didn't make any sense but nothing ever did when it came to administrative matters in their language school or at university. The most inconvenient and overly complicated approach was always what was to be expected.

Yangyang and Ten were standing in front of the printer when Kun stepped closer and he noticed a red light blinking on the screen shown inbetween their bodies.

"I can't help you all the time", Ten told Yangyang in korean without actually managing to fix the problem the printer appeared to have, "I should get paid more for dealing with you baby."

Uncomfortable with the situation he was stuck in because their office refused to invenst into more than one printer, Kun cleared his throat so they would notice him. When they turned around and saw him relief was written all over Yangyang's face.

"Oh my god, thank you!", he exclaimed suspiciously excited to see Kun, "please tell me you know how to get this thing to work. Ten is just as clueless as me."

"Hey!", Ten complained a little offended, "you know he and I work the same job here. Kun doesn't always have a solution for everything either."

Yangyang just shrugged his shoulders at that and moved aside to make room for Kun to stand in front of the printer and next to Ten. Then he said matter-of-factly: "Actually yes, he does."

As if to prove Yangyang right, and consequently Ten wrong, or maybe simply because Kun actually wanted to get his job done he focused on solving the problem first. But as much as he tried, he couldn't hold himself back from commenting on what was still distracting him now that he was faced with a broken printer and a looming deadline for this attendance list.

"Does he really have to use that pet name every time he talks to you?", he asked Yangyang in mandarin while he grabbed a paper that was stuck under the lid of the machine. He could tell himself that he sounded annoyed but it wouldn't have been obvious whether that tone was directed at his co-workes or the offending printer. Before Yangyang could answer the question, Ten beat him to it.

"Using mandarin when I'm right here", he said and he was standing so close to Kun that the other could feel it when he moved to cross his arms over his chest, "how classy of you Mr. Qian."

The printer roared back to life at the same time as Yangyang spoke up: "He's complaining about you calling me baby all the time."

This harsh betrayal by his younger co-worker wasn't exactly unexpected, there were multiple reasons why Kun never got involved in the antics of these two, but he shifted uncomfortably and away from Ten slightly anyway. Now that the problem at hand had been fixed all he wanted to do was run back to his laptop and get this assignment over with.

"You speak in english to each other all the time", Kun turned the accusation around and towards Ten instead of making a careful retreat from the scene as he knew he should have.

"You know what that sounds like?", Ten laughed and looked past him to direct his question at Yangyang like this was some fun inside joke between the two of them, "sounds like someone's sad that no one's calling him baby."

When he said that last word in english he looked back at Kun and if it had been anyone else, the look of unshakeable confidence in his expression would have seemed smug or arrogant. But it was Ten. If anything his eye contact was intense and just a little bit attractive. The strange knot in Kun's stomach tightened momentarily and he couldn't step away even when he felt Ten's hand accidentally brush against his for a second where they were standing next to each other.

"Hey Yangyang, how do you say this in german?", Ten asked then and the confusion he caused with those words thankfully dissipated any strange tension that might have formed in the small copy room of their office. Out of all the staff members at this school a good handful were able to speak another european language next to english but as of then Yangyang was the only one who could speak german. Their language school was mostly focused on varying asian languages and some romance language like french and spanish. Most other languages were taught in classes by the responsible institutions on campus. Yangyang had learned the language by living in the country too so though his knowledge was appreciated, they couldn't exactly hire the student to teach it to anyone. It was only natural that he rarely got to use the language and the only time Kun ever really heard him speak it was when a boy named Alex visited their school once a week. He was a child to Kun really, a teenager who was ambitious enough to join language classes where most of the students were at least a few years older than him. But between him and Yangyang the age difference was similar to him and Kun and it was almost adorable how much Yangyang thrived in the role of an older friend.

"It's okay to be lonely and bitter", Ten continued with what he wanted Yangyang to translate at that moment and stopped Kun's thoughts from straying further. He said it in korean and with the sweetest smile accompanying it just to make sure that Kun understood him too.

And Kun wished he could take back every thought he'd ever had about Yangyang being even remotely adorable because the kid actually smiled and did the translation as requested. In hindsight, Kun should have paid more attention to the nature of the smirk on the youngest face when he did so. Nothing good ever came out of it when Liu Yangyang smiled like that. Kun wasn't even about to try and pretend he could understand what he was saying in german either.

Ten on the other hand, suddenly a dedicated student, repeated the words slowly and carefully: "Ich könn-te dich Lie-bling nen-nen"

He struggled with some of the foreign sounds and Kun suspected Yangyang might not have chosen the simplest translation just to mess with him a little but the point still got across and hit Kun as planned. He'd just gotten put-down in a language neither of them could speak as payback for using mandarin in front of Ten. In the end, Kun had a feeling his plan had backfired quite a bit. All he could hope for was that they'd forget this exchange had ever happened in the first place.

* * *

They did, in fact, not forget about it. On the contrary, Ten had made it a habit to use german whenever they disagreed on something or he simply felt like annoying Kun. Unfortunately for Kun, both of those instances happened rather often.

"Baby!", Ten exclaimed to gain Yangyang's attention from where he was sitting staring at his phone, "how do I tell Kun in german that I'm smarter than him?"

He said it in korean so Kun already understood every word but that didn't diminish Ten's triumphant smile when Yangyang translated it for him.

"Dein Lächeln ist schön", Yangyang said without looking up from his phone and sparing them glance. He'd already gotten used to his role in these arguments about a week ago.

"Dein Lächeln is-t.. sch-ön", Ten repeated and frowned when he turned towards Yangyang instead, "you're doing that Umlaut thing on purpose."

For all his talent with languages, Ten struggled with the sounds of what Yangyang had explained were called Umlaute as much as the next foreigner. Kun thought that was only fair considering the man had been trying to say he's smarter than him. Knowing that suddenly made this conversation more amusing than insulting. A lot of the times Ten didn't even give him a chance like this and said the phrases he wanted the intern to translate in english, leaving Kun confused and lost with two languages he couldn't understand. He couldn't tell anymore whether knowing what Ten was saying in german was more frustrating than not understanding at all.

It was a foul strategy to win their arguments, a petty game. But it was one that Kun was unfortunately not above playing either.

"Tell him to just do his job for once", Kun said in fast mandarin and Ten laughed, bright and ringing so loud that Kun wondered briefly if they were disturbing any classes in the nearby rooms, when Yangyang translated his words into english instead of german.

"You...", Kun started and asked himself why he was even still surprised by Yangyang's behaviour at this point.

"Sorry, you should have specified which language you wanted it translated to", the latter apologized with clearly no remorse whatsoever, "multilingual problems you know."

Ten was still laughing at the situation, at the look of disbelief and maybe even at Kun himself. And it should have aggravated Kun, just the possibility that he was being made fun of, but there was no trace of malice in the sound of Ten's laughter. Now that it was directed at him and not heard from across the office, Kun couldn't recall why he'd ever thought it was loud and obnoxious.

For as long as they had worked together at the language school he and Ten clashed with their work ethics and equally strong opinions but vastly different demeanor. They'd always bickered and argued albeit more tame, more professional and less teasing. Nowadays Kun often went to the café across the street of their building when he lost their usual argument about who would get coffee for the whole team. Everyone had different preferences when it came to drinking coffee and no matter how many times Kun carried out this penalty he still always asked them to write down their choice of drink. Out of all their co-workers, Kun only ever really remembered Ten's order.

* * *

Kun was clever. He liked to think he was even intelligent. The only thing that ever stood in the way of using his big brain to its fullest potential was his even bigger heart. He was too kind, too loyal and trusting to listen to what his brain was telling him sometimes. Years ago he'd learned that the hard way when he had taken a Harry Potter sorting quiz online, convinced that he would be a Ravenclaw or maybe even a Slytherin with their sharp wit, and the website had triumphantly announced that he was a Hufflepuff. 

So he knew that he tended to listen to his heart more often than his brain. And technically he was aware that, despite how they acted around each other sometimes, the Yangyang sized corner in his heart was quite significant. Still, it took a while before Kun acknowledged that there were some signs he just couldn't overlook any longer. The first time his suspicions finally worked hand in hand with the rational part of his mind that kid named Alex was sitting on the floor next to Yangyang's desk. Students weren't supposed to be anywhere behind the front desk of the reception, especially not if they were invited by only an intern, but no one ever genuinely minded his presence. Usually he stayed a little longer after his thursday classes to hang out with Yangyang and distract him from his work. Yangyang always said he was instead graciously saving them from dying of boredom on the second to last day of the week.

Ten didn't even react to Alex sitting on the floor of their office when he walked past him and towards Kun's desk a few minutes later. He placed an old but beautiful looking pen on the desk without any further explanation. Kun's very own pen.

When Kun just stared between Ten and the pen now lying on the table between them, the latter explained himself eventually: "I needed to sign a document, I only borrowed it for a minute."

"You know you could have asked? Like any decent person would?", Kun retorted but it didn't sound as harsh as intended. Maybe if Ten had asked he would have actually allowed him to use his favourite pen that his grandma had given him for his birthday years ago.

"Let me say this in german", Ten said and immediately looked to Yangyang for help, switching to english with his next sentence, "no one wants to steal this rusty old pen."

It was no secret that Kun's english skills were a bit limited and Ten still used that to his full advantage. But Kun was pretty sure he understood the words "old" and "pen". In this context that couldn't have meant anything good for him. 

None of that was new to him however, not even when Yangyang dutifully translated the sentence for Ten to repeat: "Du siehst heute besonders gut aus."

What made Kun perk up from their usual bickering was the almost violent sound of Alex choking on a sip of the bottle of soda he had bought from the vending machine in their reception area a while ago. Ten didn't pay him any mind and repeated the german words with a newfound confidence because his pronounciation had gotten better over the past weeks even though he still didn't actually understand what he was saying. Alex, the poor guy, had gone into a full-blown coughing fit. Yangyang reached down to pat his back only half-heartedly.

"I'm teaching them some german", Yangyang explained the situation to his younger friend, the smile on his face possibly too wide considering that said friend was currently choking on air.

"Yeah", Alex wheezed and tried to regain his calm breathing, "I can see that."

The signs were all out in the open for Kun to see. They were written clearly in Alex' comically widened eyes. Kun in return narrowed his own when he looked between the boy sitting on the floor and Yangyang.

He almost forgot that Ten might have just insulted one of his most prized possessions in favour of scrutinizing the only two german speakers in the room. But Ten must have mistaken his expression for annoyance towards him because his own smile fell and he stepped around the desk to stand next to Kun.

"I'm sorry", he said earnestly and quiet enough for only Kun to hear, although lowering his voice had probably not even been necessary. Alex was still coughing loudly. "I won't take your pen again."

As if to emphasize his apology he placed a hand on Kun's shoulder.

"You can use it", Kun pointed out and that seemed to surprise Ten as much as himself if the way his grip tightened on Kun's shoulder was any indication for it, "just ask next time so I won't think I lost it or something."

"Alex says your german pronounciation is really good", Yangyang said then and Ten's hand fell away, "right Alex?"

"Yeah, it's perfect", the boy agreed but there was still a somewhat pained grimace on his face, "you guys are doing great."

For the first time the warning alarms going off in Kun's head were louder than the affectionate whispers coming from his heart when he thought about how happy Yangyang looked in that moment. Something was definitely going on. Something Yangyang seemed to have a little too much fun with.

* * *

"I think Yangyang is messing with us", Kun said without any form of greeting when he cornered Ten in a hallway between two classrooms a few days later. He could hear the loud voice of the lady teaching italian even through the closed door. If he remembered correctly, another colleague was currently holding an indonesian class in the room on their right.

"What?", Ten gasped in overexaggerated and fake shock, "you mean more than usual?"

"I mean when we speak german", Kun explained and blinked twice to refuse the urge to roll his eyes at the man in front of him. Before his own patience could run out, he held the coffee in his hand out for Ten to take. It was a cup from the café across the street, ordered exactly how Ten liked it.

"What's this?", Ten asked suspiciously but took the drink anyway, "a bribe for me to turn against my own son?"

"See it as a peace offering if you want", Kun corrected him quickly so they could get back to the important matter at hand, "I think he's not making us say what we want. Alex almost died when he heard you."

For a moment Ten seemed to consider his words and took a sip of his coffee. Kun had half a mind to warn him that it might still be too hot but disregarded the thought just as quickly.

"Even if that's true the things he makes us say probably aren't that bad", Ten argued and Kun could see why Yangyang liked him so much. Ten always spoiled the kid.

"You're not even a little curious what you've been talking about in german this whole time?", Kun tried to appeal to Ten's distinct curiosity and love for gossip instead. Five, fifteen seconds passed when Ten just took another sip of his drink.

"I like the coffee", he said finally and then looked Kun straight in the eyes, "alright, humour me. What is your plan?"

* * *

It was a wednesday evening, or rather night, when Kun decided to share the plan he had come up with after they'd agreed to figure out this situation together. It was shortly after 9pm, the last evening classes meant for those learning after their day of work had just finished and when Kun walked back into their office space Ten was the only person still sitting at his desk. There was no sunlight shining into the always only dimly lit room anymore and Ten's face was mostly illuminated by the screen of his laptop in front of him. Kun absentmindedly fixed one of the buttons that had come loose on the collar of his shirt before he approached the other man.

He was determined to tell Ten his plans and then leave to enjoy his well-deserved free time that was already cut short because of the late shift he had taken on that day. His resolve wavered however, when he glanced at Ten's laptop screen and realised that he was seeing an abundance of chinese characters and words.

"You understand all of this?", he asked a little panicked because all the things he had said about Ten in mandarin lately were suddenly echoing loudly in his head.

"Oh my god, don't scare me like that", Ten scolded him for not announcing his presence, "no I don't understand it. I can introduce myself in mandarin but that's about it."

In their circumstances Kun should have felt relieved to hear that but he couldn't help but notice that Ten sounded dejected, maybe even frustrated.

"I'm trying to write the concept for one of my dance projects in mandarin but I just can't get it right no matter how many stupid online translators I use", Ten continued to rant unprompted and he was definitely frustrated.

"I see", Kun said none the wiser and shifted his weight from one leg to the other, "any particular reason why you want to do it in mandarin and not one of the other three languages you speak fluently?"

The small smile that replaced Ten's frown at that felt like a victory. Kun didn't know what he was competing for but he felt like he won anyway.

"It's a project for one of my classes and mandarin is the native language of my dance partner Sicheng. I thought it would be nice if I could share my ideas in his language", Ten explained and let out a tired sigh, "don't get me wrong Sicheng's korean is good but I thought to get the concept right I could at least try this."

Even when Kun hadn't spent as much time during his work days with Ten as he did recently, he had always known Ten was studying dance at the same university he'd been at. They were the same age but while Kun had received his degree last semester Ten had started a year or two later than him. Once he'd heard two of their co-workers whisper about it, that it was embarrassing to start university late especially for a dancer who only had his body to rely on and always had time and age working against him. He remembered he'd interrupted their barely hushed conversation with a polite smile and a question that really hadn't been urgent at all. Kun had always thought Ten was admirable for pursuing his dreams.

"That's really nice of you", Kun said honestly but he felt a little helpless in his attempt to support Ten. It wasn't something he had much experience in so far.

"Sicheng seems kind of shy at first", Ten continued but his tone was more fond than tense now, "I hoped it would make him feel more comfortable around me."

On second thought, Kun reached out to take the chair from behind the next desk and sat down close to Ten.

"I'm sure he'll appreciate it", he assured the other with stronger conviction now.

"Not if I already fail at writing the first sentence", Ten laughed bitterly but they both knew there was no humour in his worries. For a moment Kun considered his options but the mental image of his own cosy bed was drifting further and further away until it vanished completely.

"Do you... want me to help you?", Kun asked hesitantly. He half expected Ten to turn down his offer immediately, either because it hurt his pride or he just wanted to get rid of Kun as soon as possible. To his surprise, neither seemed to be the case.

"It's not only the language I struggle with", Ten opened up further, "I can't come up with any good concepts for the music we chose. I'm completely useless."

Disagreeing with Ten was familiar terrain, an exercise he followed almost daily and was used to. But this was the first time he felt genuinely upset by something Ten had said. The rebuttal was on the tip of his tongue waiting to be spoken out loud but Kun remained quiet. He was terrified of saying the wrong thing, that Ten would shut his laptop close and leave him sitting there alone in the sudden darkness without the light of his laptop screen. Ten looked so small, sinking further into his seat, like something that could easily be lost once the light turned off. As a child Kun had never been particularly scared of the dark but in that moment he didn't want to risk it.

"Maybe I can help with that too", Kun offered instead of voicing his concern, "which song did you choose?"

"No offense", Ten said and finally looked back up at Kun, "but do you even know anything about dance?"

This was probably the least intentionally offensive thing Ten had said to him in weeks and Kun could have laughed at the irony of it all.

"No", he answered truthfully, "but I have a degree in music production which might help."

Kun had meant it to sound lighthearted to spark at least the tiniest hint of the bright and exuberant energy Ten usually carried himself with. Instead the man next to him visibly winced at his words.

"Right, sorry", Ten apologised and he only straightened up in his seat to run a hand through his hair, effectively messing it up and mirroring what he was possibly feeling inside. Kun wished he knew whether he was annoyed by himself or Kun's persistence to offer help even when no one asked for it.

"If you don't want my help you can just say it", Kun gave in to his doubts but shrugged his shoulders with feigned nonchalance. He wasn't very keen on pushing himself into spaces where he wasn't wanted. Suddenly, there was a hand on Kun's thigh as if to stop him from moving.

There was a sense of urgency in Ten's voice when he said: "No, please stay."

There wasn't much more to their conversation. No dramatic gestures or arguments, just the two of them brushing their shoulders together so they could look at the screen of the laptop together as they worked on Ten's project for the next hour or so. For some reason Kun thought it shouldn't have been so simple, but Ten had asked and so he stayed.

They managed to decide on the concept of Ten's performance surprisingly quickly because regardless of what their actual job had proven, when it came to music they worked well together. Kun wasn't someone who prided himself on small achievements but he could tell that he had surprised Ten at least to some extent. Perhaps he even impressed him with either his knowledge on music or just the fact that they were able to work together without resulting in insults in languages neither of them could actually speak.

A few minutes had passed since either of them spoke, Ten intently focused on the mandarin translation of the things they'd decided to tell Sicheng later on. When Kun had agreed to help him he thought the translation would have surely been his responsibility, one that while Ten's intentions had been genuine he'd still rather push towards the native speaker between the two. At least that was how it usually had been when other kids back in school asked him to help them with their homework. Instead, Ten was writing down everything he wanted to say himself. The paper in front of him was filled with the pinyin of words, a lot of them crossed out and rewritten two or three times to be replaced with the one that truly expressed what Ten was trying to say. Kun was officially tasked with converting the pinyin into the words' respective characters on the laptop in case Ten would mess up his carefully prepared speech and they needed to give Sicheng a written version for him to understand his ideas. Unofficially, Kun was helping Ten transform his thoughts into spoken words.

In his time as an employee at the language school Kun worked on many translations, whether they were formal documents or small articles on their website. He didn't mind the process much. The repetitive nature of it and the familiar jumps between languages had become easier as he got more confident in his korean over time. With Ten it was different. It felt different because nothing was ever just repetitive or familiar with Ten.

Their dynamic was different from usual translation tasks not only because Kun had helped Ten come up with the topic they were working on, but because no matter how many languages each of them spoke there was never one that was natural to the both of them at the same time. Anything Kun could have possibly translated into mandarin had already been translated once by Ten into korean. Kun's heart ached a little at all the meaning that was probably lost in the process. When he had said as much to Ten a moment ago, the other had smiled.

"That's okay", Ten had said and he was smiling despite his obvious tiredness, "I'm sure that if I just explain what I'm thinking as thoroughly as possible you'll understand everything I can't really put into words too."

Kun had no idea what he had done to earn the faith Ten seemed to have in him. For what it was worth though, he knew that he wanted to keep it. Even when Ten had started to express his thoughts more in depth as he had promised and Kun initially was slightly overwhelmed. It felt like until then he'd only seen Ten through the crack of a barely opened door with his view limited and intentionally, by Ten or his own behaviour, kept in the dark. Now that Ten had pushed that door open himself with a kind smile and open arms Kun couldn't help but be fascinated by everything that lay behind it.

"Is it second or third tone for this word?", Ten asked then, completely unaware of the role he was playing in Kun's thoughts at the same time. There was nothing wrong about Kun getting lost in his thoughts for a second but he still felt like he got caught doing something he wasn't supposed to do. As discreetly as possible he cleared his throat and tried to ignore the heat rising to his face.

"It's the third tone", he answered professionally and Ten just nodded at that, his tongue poking out between his lips and his brows furrowed in deep concentration.

As much as Kun always tried to hold himself accountable as a non-judgemental person he admitted to himself now that he hadn't been completely fair to Ten. He'd mistaken his easy-going personality for a lack of discipline and care. As an employee Ten always finished his tasks on time even when he complained about them to anyone who was willing to listen to him talk. Kun, as he hadn't known any better, attributed that to Ten's talents rather than any semblance of hard work. To think that Ten didn't care now felt like an offence worse than any teasing insult they'd told each other face to face. Every time Kun so much as glanced at Ten and the paper filled with Kun's own native language he could practically feel himself dig a hole beneath his feet deeper and deeper. He wasn't sure if Ten would have helped him out would he have fallen right then and there.

So he clung to the only lifeline he could see: "I know how we can figure out if Yangyang is messing with us."

With his interest apparently piqued, Ten looked back up at Kun for the first time in a while.

"So?", he said and raised his eyebrows, "are you going to tell me the plan? We're a team, right?"

"Yeah, of course", Kun smiled but it felt a little shaky, "I have a friend who can speak german. We could invite her to hang out with Yangyang and us. As long as he doesn't catch on to her speaking german and we behave as we normally do she should be able to tell us what he's making us say with his translations."

"Sounds good", Ten said after no time for consideration and stretched his arms above his head. Kun resolutely ignored the way his shirt rode up and revealed the slightest bit of skin. Instead, he looked up to see the clock on the wall opposite their desk. It really was getting too late for his brain to function properly.

"When would be a good time for your friend to meet us?", Ten continued.

"She said she's free next week on friday", Kun answered and he felt more relaxed now that he was finally getting to the point he'd been holding out since he first found Ten that evening. This wasn't any worse than setting up an appointment at the dentist's office.

"How about friday at around 8pm then?", Ten proposed, "I know this really nice bar around here."

A bar was probably the least forced setting they could come up with for this random combination of people so Kun was quick to agree.

"Great", Ten said and Kun noted the genuine excitement in his voice, "it's a date then!"

* * *

Kun hadn't been on a date in a long time. He made sure to remind himself that his meet-up with Ten, Yangyang and Gayoung later that night wasn't one either. Still, it took him as long to settle on an outfit as it probably would have had this been an actual date. On weekdays he enjoyed the only clear privilege of an office job which was that he never had to worry about what he was wearing. His standard set of dark jeans and white shirts was always ready and set for him to just grab in the mornings. It wasn't the most welcoming routine towards creative expression but it was safe and Kun liked safe. The image that was staring back at him from within the mirror was the exact opposite of all that.

Last sunday his friend Lucas had convinced him it was a great idea to bleach his hair and dye it a silvery grey colour. In retrospect, trusting Lucas of all people with a decision like that wasn't his brightest moment. He hadn't even been convinced really, just weak to the soft pleading looks Lucas was so very good at. In the end, the result reminded him that he and his friend experienced life in very different ways.

Kun had never struggled with making friends, his polite and friendly nature promised that, but meeting Lucas had definitely been one of his most memorable encounters. He was a few years younger than Kun, a complete stranger at the time and came up to befriend Kun outside their university's library just because he'd heard him speak mandarin on the phone. It was only weeks later that Kun had found out mandarin wasn't even Lucas first language. Almost two years later he still wondered how he and Lucas had ended up like this together. Especially now that Kun was staring at his own reflection with very much grey hair. It was all the more unnerving because he was sure Lucas wasn't second guessing their spontaneous decision at all. Whereas Lucas had enough confidence to last him two lifetimes and convince probably anyone that they'd look good with dyed hair Kun was still fighting with self-doubt on more days than he'd like to admit. That had never been a fight he was optimistic he could ever win for good.

But there was no use worrying about it anymore. Everyone he was about to meet expect Gayoung had already seen this new hair colour no matter how hard he had tried to hide it at first. He wasn't embarrassed by it per se but showing up to his work place like this had been a somewhat daunting prospect. Luckily, and surprisingly, the teasing by courtesy of Yangyang and Ten didn't really worsen when they got him to take off his hat by tuesday. There were definitely one or two comments about his hair greying prematurely but particularly Ten didn't seem to take much interest in his change of appearance. The thought was reassuring when he finally settled on wearing a pair of light blue ripped jeans and a simple black hoodie. He wasn't trying to impress anyone that night anyway.

When he walked into the bar near the university's campus half an hour later with Gayoung, Yangyang and Ten were already waiting for them at a table in the far back of the room. Yangyang looked up just as Kun spotted them and waved at him to come over. The smile that spread on his face at the same time was only somewhat reassuring for Kun. He halted his steps and turned around to face Gayoung instead.

"I'm thinking I should warn you, I have no idea what Yangyang will make us say but I hope it won't be too bad", he apologised in advance for how the situation could progress, "honestly I'm not sure we can trust Ten not to expose the plan either. He might just do it if he thinks it's fun."

To his relief, Gayoung just laughed instead of turning around and storming out of the bar at his warning. Either way he wouldn't have blamed her. It had been his own idea to involve her in this but he still felt a little sorry for dragging her into it. After all, they weren't even particularly close to each other. He'd mentioned her as a friend to Ten but a friend of a friend would have been a more accurate description of their relationship. They were the same age and had shared some friends all throughout university but there had never been an opportunity for them to get to know each other outside the context of group gatherings and the occasional party Kun attended. When he'd reached out to her recently she'd been surprised but positively delighted to help him out with his strange request. Her sweet and pretty face couldn't hide the mirth dancing in her eyes under the low lighting of the bar.

"You're making them sound terrible", she laughed and looked past Kun to return Yangyang's waving excitedly even though they had never seen each other before.

"No, I like them!", Kun insisted, paused, and then continued in a softer voice when he realised he was telling the truth, "I really do."

Then, as if Gayoung could feel his uneasiness radiate off of him in waves, her expression softened. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, pointed with her chin in the direction where his co-workers were sitting and asked: "So what are we waiting for?"

With a hint of hesitation he followed her gaze and his eyes met Ten's across the room. When they did, a smile spread across Ten's face like he was genuinely happy to see him. And maybe that was what he had been waiting for all along.

By the time they ordered their second round of drinks Kun had the sneaking suspicion that Ten had already grown closer to Gayoung than he himself ever had. They were sitting next to each other, their shoulders touching as they shook with laughter while Yangyang was recounting a story about how he'd once almost fought a man in a shoe store. 

Kun took a sip of his drink and glanced at them over the rim of his glass. For a second, he allowed his eyes to linger on the way Ten's black hair was falling onto his face and his mouth curved into a wide, carefree smile. While Kun had opted to dress more casual than he did in the office, Ten was wearing a light shimmer of glittery makeup around his eyes to make them stand out even more. He tore his gaze away from the sight when Ten directed his brightest smile yet at Gayoung.

He wasn't jealous but perhaps a bit surprised by how easily this most random combination of people fit together. Up until then he had never even met up with Ten and Yangyang outside of work on his own but the expected awkwardness failed to appear even when they added another person into their confusing net of work-related acquaintanceship. There was something warm blooming in his chest. Maybe it was the alcohol or something akin to affection. If he allowed the slight buzz he was feeling to suppress any doubts he might have had, he could even convinve himself he was hanging out with friends.

Still, he silently wondered what it felt like to be in Gayoung's place when Ten reached out to fix a strand of her hair like they had known each other for years.

"Every drink tastes better if it's in a can", Ten said a little while later when they chose to replace their empty glasses with non-alcoholic drinks. Their argument arose when Ten ordered for them and specified that he liked his soda to be in a can instead of a bottle. For a moment Kun had almost been worried they'd have to instigate a pretend disagreement for their plan to expose Yanyang to succeed. Then again, he should've expected that the opportunity would present itself naturally if Ten and he were left to talk to each other for more than a few minutes.

"There is literally no difference in taste no matter the packaging", Kun argued back, "like you can't tell me canned water would taste different than the one in bottles."

Ten leaned closer towards him across the table, clearly not afraid of the unspoken challenge. He raised one corner of his mouth in a smirk and said: "You don't know that. Have you ever tried drinking canned water?"

And Kun would have probably taken the bait and given Ten the satisfaction of making him lose his calm composure. But then he noticed the other's gaze flicker to Gayoung for a fleeting second. This was the chance they'd been waiting for.

"Hey Yangyang, I have a feeling I'll use it a lot so how do I say this in german", Kun turned to the youngest and tried to ignore the way it visibly made Gayoung sit up and take notice, "how do I tell him he's being ridiculous?"

Yangyang complied happily without minding the extra audience they had for their usual antics. He translated, or mistranslated, the phrase and Kun repeated it with his strong accent as he always did.

"Now what if I want to tell him he just has no taste?", Ten insisted on their by now absurd conversation. As if it was second nature to him, Yangyang easily found the right words for this too and laughed all by himself when Ten said the same loud and proud. Gayoung on the other hand stayed quiet with a mask of neutral curiosity that gave no indication of what she was thinking. Kun would have had to compliment her after all of this was over because her university degree in Theatre and Drama was really paying off.

* * *

A strong breeze was tugging at their clothes as they stood outside the bar later that night and watched until the cab Yangyang had taken round a corner and disappear out of their sight. If there was still any of the little alcohol left in Kun's body the cold night air sobered him up effectively.

"Well that was fun", Ten said then and he seemed like he actually meant it, "we should do this again sometime!"

"I'd love to if you don't mind me crashing your co-worker party again", Gayoung agreed and Kun decided against telling her that this had been his first time meeting up with any of his colleagues outside of the office too.

"Are you kidding me? Of course we don't mind! You were the secret star of tonight's show, right Kun?"

It took Kun half a second too long to process that in one way or another Ten was talking about them like they were a collective and not some strangers who argued at work sometimes.

"Right", he said finally, "speaking of which, what did Yangyang make us say to each other?"

Gayoung tightened her light jackout around her shoulders to brace herself against the air that was turning colder with every passing minute the later into the night it got. Opposite her, Kun was just trying to brace himself for what she was about to say.

She bit her lip, a sudden sign of nervousness that she hadn't shown at all so far, and eventually revealed the information only she had access to: "I'm dont know how to tell you guys this.. but I'm pretty sure you've been flirting in german this whole time."

"But Ten just said you look really good with your grey hair", she quickly added as an afterthought when she saw Kun's expression, like that would have made him feel better. Mentally, Kun was already preparing his letter of resignation for his workplace just so he didn't have to deal with any of this ever again. It was a shame really because lately he'd begun to look forward to going to work in the mornings.

Completely unfazed by this revelation Ten looked more amused than shocked when he asked: "And what did he make Kun say?"

For once, Ten's shamelessness worked in Kun's favour because it shook him out of the stupor he had found himself in.

"Seriously?", Kun said and made the big mistake of taking one step closer to the other man on impulse, "why does that matter anymore?"

Presumably just to spite him, Ten took a step towards him too so that it was impossible to avoid meeting his eyes.

"It matters to me."

From somewhere to their left, Kun couldn't bring himself to look away from Ten, Gayoung spoke up again: "He said he loves your eyes."

They were standing so close that Kun could see it the second those very same eyes lit up in amusement and another emotion that he couldn't quite read. He didn't have enough time to wonder about it either before they jumped apart at the sudden loud sound of a car honking nearby. In some way Kun was glad for the scare because it gave him an explanation for his frantically beating heart.

"That's my girlfriend picking me up", Gayoung told them and pointed to a car parked on the side of the road behind her, "I'll get going then."

Although she was smiling Kun felt sorry for allowing this strange tension to develop while she was there. She had graciously helped them with everything they'd asked her for. The wreck of an aftermath was only for Kun to deal with.

"Thanks again", he said and waved at her when she turned to leave.

"No need to thank me", she assured them and Kun was relieved that he believed her, "and good luck."

"Good luck with what?", Ten almost shouted after her a second later when she'd already reached the car. It was something they both wanted an answer to but only Ten was brave enough to admit.

Gayoung paused with her hand resting on the opened door to the passenger seat.

"I'm not sure", she said loudly but even from the small distance they could see her gaze flit between the two of them, "maybe with raising Yangyang."

"I like her", Ten mused as they walked across their university's campus ground with only a few streetlights lighting up their path.

At night the seemingly abandoned place was eerily quiet compared to the the bustle of life it usually held. They only passed one group of people briefly who looked like they were on their way home from a night out too. Kun had offered to walk Ten home, who still lived in on campus housing for the last few semesters of his studies to save money. And considering that Ten had recommend the bar for them to meet at he'd probably walked this same way more than just a few times in the past. Despite that, Kun had placed emphasis on his willingness to accompany him on his short walk home. There was something they needed to talk about and Kun had a feeling that if they didn't do it that night he might have never been able to face Ten at work again.

And his decision felt validated for multiple reasons when they had walked past that group of strangers and one of them, an obviously drunk man around their age, started waving at them while his feet staggered and struggled to keep him walking forward. He seemed harmless enough and his friends were laughing at his behaviour but Kun's shoulders tensed when he noticed that the other's hazy gaze focused a little too long and too intently on Ten to be considered entirely innocent. When Kun stepped just barely closer to Ten instinctively, the latter didn't move away.

"Are you hearing what I'm saying?", Ten asked Kun again who had been momentarily distracted by the way the back of their hands brushed against each other occasionally, "I said I really liked having Gayoung around tonight. She's great."

"Sorry", Kun apologised only half-heartedly, "but yeah, I could kinda see that."

There was a short moment of silence before Ten asked: "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing", Kun tried to brush the accusatory tone of Ten's voice aside.

It didn't have the desired effect however because Ten looked away from the night sky above them to narrow his eyes at him instead.

"You're being weird", he said, "even more so than usual."

"I'm not", Kun disagreed too quickly to appear casual and it sounded weak even to his own ears. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans to avoid the fleeting touch of Ten's fingers against his. If he didn't, he might have done something stupid like reach out to hold his hand. Preferably he wanted to deal with more pressing matters before he truly lost all common sense.

"Are you not mad at Yangyang?", he asked the question that plagued his mind ever since they'd said their goodbyes to Gayoung. To add on to his confusion, Ten just simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Not really, I mean he didn't make me lie or anything", he said and looked Kun over in the least discreet way possible, "the grey hair really does suit you."

Kun couldn't do anything but laugh nervously to hide his disbelief. He didn't even realise that he raised his hand to run it through his own dyed hair until he felt Ten's gaze follow the movement.

"You're making fun of me again", Kun guessed and quickly dropped his arm again.

For once however, there was no teasing smirk on Ten's face and if anything, he looked surprised in a way that he needed to repeat himself for Kun to take his words seriously. 

In front of them the silhouette of the buildings for student housing appeared in the distance when Ten said: "I wasn't going to tell you, especially not at work, but I can still think you look hot."

Kun stumbled over a loose stone in the pavement and managed to regain his footing just in time before he fell.

"It didn't seem like you cared when I showed up to work like this", Kun claimed and gestured helplessly at his own head.

"I was being professional", Ten defended himself swiftly and the fact that he sounded completely serious while doing so was for some reason absolutely hilarious to Kun.

"That's you being professional?", Kun asked and let out a genuine laugh that dissipated part of the strange prickling tension he could feel even in the cold night air, "what are you like if you don't try to be professional then?"

Perhaps that had been the wrong thing to say though, because Ten leaned closer to him and whispered in a hushed conspiratorial tone: "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Kun welcomed the darkness that surrounded them. Hopefully it was hiding the blush that he couldn't deny was burning on his cheeks.

"You know...", Ten picked up their conversation again when they'd almost reached to front door of his building, "now would be a great time for you to say that my eyes are actually pretty too."

It would have been only fair, Kun supposed, to return the compliment Gayoung had translated for them just like Ten had done. With only the sparse lighting of a few scattered streetlamps and the stars above the glittery eyeshadow on Ten's face made his naturally beautiful eyes shine even more.

"You already know that they are", Kun avoided the topic anyway.

"Maybe I do", Ten said and even though he was laughing there was an underlying seriousness in his voice that he couldn't quite hide, "but it feels different to hear it from you."

"You already heard me say it."

"Yeah, in a language that neither of us can speak or understand", Ten complained and Kun was caught off guard by the way his lips turned down into a pouting expression.

It took Kun a few more steps and the sight of Ten stopping by the front door of a building to give in to the other's pleading and his own honesty.

"Your eyes are very pretty", he admitted eventually and something in his chest, where his heart was supposed to be, clenched strangely when Ten immediately looked up from where he had been trying to locate his keys inside his bag.

"Really? That's so sweet of you", he said and feigned surprise by placing a hand over where his own heart was, "thanks baby."

And it was only when Ten disappeared inside the building and the door shut close that Kun allowed himself to wonder what the hell had just happened.

* * *

For a while nothing really changed their dynamic at work. Even when Kun wasn't tasked with the duty of organizing coffee for everyone he thought to bring one for Ten when he was buying his own and sometimes Ten leaned a little closer into his space when he looked over his shoulder at what Kun was working on but no one else seemed to pick up on these little changes and Kun quietly asked himself if he was just imagining them too.

He himself also wasn't as eager to learn german through Yangyang anymore now that he knew what kind of things he'd been saying to Ten all along. There was really no point in keeping their little game going now that he finally knew by what rules they were playing. Ten on the other hand gauged their situation differently. When Kun asked him about it he said it was fun to beat Yangyang at his own game at least for a little while. And so Kun didn't confront their intern but endured it whenever Ten turned towards him to repeat a set of german words that sounded more fluent each time. After everything, Kun still didn't know what any of them meant but within the context of their shared secret he could feel their intention all the same.

"Hey Yangyang! Don't ignore me baby", Ten said one day when they were sitting around Kun's desk to eat their lunch while the latter was still trying to get some work done, "how do I tell Kun in german that his dimples are cute?"

He didn't even bother to say it in english instead of korean and smiled sweetly when Yangyang stared at him, the chopsticks in his hands stopped in midair halfway towards his mouth. Kun almost dropped his precious old pen but held on to it with a conscious effort.

"Excuse me?", Yangyang said after a second and swallowed the bite of his food.

The smile on Ten's face would have distracted even stronger men so Kun abandoned pen and paper to watch the scene that was currently unfolding around him.

"What, don't you want to hear me compliment him in german?", Ten asked Yangyang innocently, "I thought that's what we've been doing this whole time."

What had caused Ten to confront Yangyang on this specific day Kun didn't know but he didn't feel like questioning it either. It was definitely worth it for the look on Yangyang's face in that moment.

"I have no idea what you're talking about", Yangyang insisted like he was refusing to give up an already conquered kingdom, "you tell him yourself."

That was a challenge Ten couldn't back down from and Kun realised it when the other shrugged his shoulders and directed his easy smile at him instead.

"Your dimples look really cute when you smile or concentrate like you did just now."

"Oh my god", Yangyang sighed in disbelief and put the lid back on his take-out container of food with more force than necessary, "don't you have a job to do or something?"

Things at work started changing after that day and eventually Kun sided with Yangyang against the common enemy that was Ten's unabashed flirting.

* * *

Kun didn't actively plan to leave his job at the language school. He'd been working there for so long now that he was almost starting to believe that maybe this was just the way things were meant to stay for him. The thought still stung a little but perhaps he had to admit that his degree in music production was always only supposed to be a good but ultimately useless memory. Some nights when his self-doubts cost him hours of precious sleep he still searched up available job positions even though he could always already anticipate the outcome. In the end it was by complete chance and maybe fate as Ten called it that Kun managed to secure a job interview as an assistant producer and secondary hand to help with mixing and arrangements. Kun had been watching videos of a singer Ten recommended to him and clicked on the website of his small but established company when he found the listing for the position.

The company had already hired in-house producers but they were still looking for someone to assist them on projects and work on those parts where they might fall short. It wasn't the most important position one could imagine in the big glamorous world of the music business but it was so much more than Kun had even dared to dream of. Because as much as he had grown to appreciate working in the field of languages, all he had ever truly wanted to do was music.

He tried to keep his hopes to a minimum but that did not stop his heart from beating at least three times faster than what was probably considered healthy when he sat in the unfamiliar hallway and waited to be called into an office for his interview. For the fifth time he checked to make sure that his phone was on silent mode and he was about to put it away for good when the screen lit up with an incoming text message:

Ten [2.28pm]

good luck baby!!

Two weeks later Kun received a call that he'd been chosen for the job position and could start working as soon as his previous employer allowed him to leave.

* * *

It was around that same time that Ten invited him to watch the showcase of the dance he had prepared with Sicheng. Kun had been aware of these type of events while he'd still been studying, those that were held for the dance majors at the end of every semester to perform their best projects to an audience, but he never attended one. He felt a little out of place sitting in one of the first rows that were reserved for the families of the performers. When Ten had handed him his ticket with the reservation number Kun didn't even want to accept it at first.

"All of my family is in Thailand. None of them can take a plane just to see me dance for three minutes", Ten had argued and Kun could feel his bitterness even when Ten thought his tone was lighthearted and half-joking. He'd seen him stay up all night to learn the basics of a foreign language and attend dance practice the next morning at 7am to prepare for this performance. Later, he'd seen him cover up the dark circles under his eyes with makeup in the restroom of their office on those same days.

"You helped me with this project", Ten had continued like there was still a possibility for Kun to deny him anything, "you're the closest person I have."

Even now that Kun had taken his seat in the auditorium he was secretly worried someone would walk up to him and force him to sit somewhere more appropriate, somewhere far at the back of the room. Maybe he should've been replaced by one of the many friends he knew Ten had. There was a middle aged woman sitting next to him with a beautiful bouquet of flowers in her hands and he could feel the light weight of his own small present he was holding push him down further into his seat. But despite it all, Ten thought he was worthy of this place. And this time, regardless of all the teasing they usually treated each other with, he wanted to believe him.

When Ten and who must have been Sicheng stepped onto the stage as the third performers of the event, Kun unknowingly straightened up in his seat to get a better view. The lights dimmed, a single spotlight illuminating Ten, and nothing else mattered anymore.

* * *

Kun was nervous and he couldn't pinpoint exactly why. People were slowly filing out of the auditorium around his but he was waiting by the row he'd been sitting at. Ten had texted him just a minute ago that he would come out to see him soon. It couldn't have been Ten who caused Kun to be nervous and fiddle with the hem of his jacket anxiously while he waited. More than once it had felt like a rollercoaster of emotions whenever Ten had been involved in anything but nervousness was not one Kun was used to feel around him. He'd felt somewhat unsure before and more frequently flustered lately but none of that compared to what he was feeling now. Then again, Ten's performance on stage had also been like nothing he'd ever experienced before.

Knowing that Ten was a dancer and seeing it with his own eyes was incomparable. Watching Ten dance felt like everything around him wound down into slow motion while Ten alone was dancing to the ticking of time and the beat of Kun's heart. It reminded him of that one time he'd taken flying lessons for a small plane last year. Ten could fly just by dancing.

"There you are", Ten's voice brought his thoughts to an abrupt halt, "I'm glad you didn't leave yet."

He was still wearing his stage outfit, a lowcut white silky shirt and pants of the same colour to match it, when he made his way past strangers and towards Kun. Ever since Kun had first met Ten he knew he was beautiful. He didn't think anyone who had ever met Ten could say anything different. Now that he'd seen him dancing however, a side of Ten where his talent and passion could shine to its full potential, he looked breathtaking. He hoped Ten knew just how beautiful he was.

"You were great", Kun said when Ten reached him and he decided to lock all those other words clouding his mind away for some other time, or maybe forever.

"Thank you. I saw you sit in the second row. Honestly I was in such a good mood before the performance that I was kind of worried I'd mess up with portraying the concept."

Ten had looked so vulnerable on stage and embodied the concept of love and longing they'd chosen together so perfectly that Kun had wiped away a stray tear on his face during the performance.

"Believe me", he asked of Ten then, "it was perfect."

Even with the clear signs of tiredness Ten was showing after the stressful showcase and demanding dance routine he positively beamed at the compliment.

"The guy who helped us come up with the concept didn't do a bad job either", he admitted and nudged his shoulder against Kun's lightly. At the same time, the lady who had been sitting next to him walked by them with her big bouquet of flowers.

"Oh right", Kun reached inside the bag he was holding to take out a small object, "I got this for you."

It was no bouquet of red roses but a simple canned drink. Ten took the unfamiliar blue can from his outstretched hand and turned it around until his eyes landed on a logo.

"Oh my god", Ten looked between the drink and Kun two, three times, "you got me a can of water?"

"I thought you might be thirsty after the perfomance", Kun explained himself calmly but he knew there was a blush on his face betraying him, "I'm sorry it's not flowers or something."

Kun just barely managed not to stumble backwards when Ten suddenly threw his arms around his shoulders. He felt his laughter as much as he heard it.

"Don't be sorry! I love this", Ten said and his voice was so, so close, "thank you baby."

The term of affection, Ten's arms around his shoulders and his face in the crook of his neck, all of it at once was too much for Kun to deal with. He took a step back as soon as Ten loosened his hold on him. But even then there was a layer of glitter stuck on his clothes now from where Ten had been. The sparkling glitter on his skin and hair refused to let go of Kun's sweater. Thankfully, just a second later Sicheng appeared out of a small crowd of people to stand next to his dance partner. Unlike Ten he wasn't wearing his stage outfit anymore and Kun wondered briefly why Ten hadn't stayed back to get changed like his friend did.

"Oh hey Sicheng, this is Kun. I've told you about him before", Ten introduced them to each other when he noticed the other dancer.

"Yes, you have... a lot", Sicheng said and his voice sounded a little deeper than what Kun had expected judging by his pretty features, "it's nice to finally meet you."

"I'm glad to meet you too", Kun returned the same sentiment in korean before he switched to mandarin effortlessly, "you did really well today."

"Wait! I could understand that", Ten interrupted whatever Sicheng was about to reply. The latter carefully raised one eyebrow when he looked to Kun for an explanation.

"You've been teaching him more mandarin after he did that speech about the concept?", he asked in the same language.

"A little", Kun said but he was distracted by the way Ten's gaze was hanging on their lips even though he'd most likely already reached the limit of what he was able to understand in their conversation. It was so endearing that Kun didn't know anymore what he had wanted to say anyway.

"How are you getting home?", Sicheng changed the topic and the language back to slightly accented korean when he adressed Ten, "Jaehyun should be around here somewhere, he said he'll drive. Do you want us to drop you off?"

"No, thank you that's fine. I'll just take a bus. I wouldn't want to ruin your chance at some alone time with Jaehyun."

"I can drive you home", Kun offered before Sicheng could respond to the comment about whoever this Jaehyun guy was. The auditorium for this showcase was outside the university's campus and quite far from the student housing Ten was staying at. It was also getting late and Kun had brought his car. To him it only made sense that he should make sure Ten got home alright.

"Are you sure?", Ten asked because that unspoken logic didn't seem to have reached him, "I still need to change and pack my things backstage. It might take a while."

"Yeah, don't worry", Kun assured him and smiled because it felt like he was giving his words a little too much weight, "I'll wait for you."

When Ten agreed to head backstage again with Sicheng he turned to Kun one more time: "I'll be with you in just a moment."

Now that Kun was left on his own again he inspected the glittery damage on his favourite sweater but couldn't get the sparkling particles off of his clothes no matter how hard he tried. It hit him then that he'd been waiting for Ten to _be with him_ for a long time already. Maybe it had even been weeks.

* * *

On their ride home Ten dozed off in the passenger seat and Kun made sure to drive as carefully as possible so he wouldn't hit his head on the window. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, Ten's relaxed breathing a reassuringly steady sound as Kun watched the sun disappear behind a row of tall buildings. Kun told himself that he was using this time wisely but the further he let his thoughts spiral while driving the more helpless he felt. Ten's showcase had gone well, he had danced beautifully and loved Kun's stupid little present. Everything worked out as it should have and yet he couldn't shake the heavy feeling that was weighing him down.

"Thanks again", Ten muttered a while later and rubbed his eyes with one of his hands as he was standing next to the front door to his building, "for everything."

He looked different now than he had while he was flying across the stage and left a trail of shimmering glitter in his wake. His face was free of makeup and the white outfit had been replaced by black sweatpants and a simple hoodie. To Kun's dismay, he still thought he looked just as beautiful. It made what he was about to say so much harder.

"I got a call from that company where I had the interview", he said without giving himself a chance ease into the conversation or back out just as easily, "they said I have the job."

"Are you serious? When did they call?", Ten asked overly excited and dropped his backpack to take a step closer towards Kun.

"Yeah, they want me to start working as soon as possible. They called two days ago."

For the second time that evening, Kun wasn't prepared for the force of impact when Ten all but leaped into his arms. This time he allowed himself to return the hug and hold on just a little longer.

"That's amazing!", Ten congratulated him, "why didn't you tell me sooner?"

When Kun didn't reply right away Ten leaned back as much as the hands around his waist let him and looked up to see his expression.

"Wait, why do you look like these are bad news?", he asked and gently guided Kun to lift his head by placing one of his hands under his chin, "what's going on in that annoyingly smart head of yours?"

"I guess I just got used to always having my co-workers around me", Kun admitted in a quiet voice but the laugh he earned from Ten with that encouraged him, "I liked this. Us."

"You're starting a new job, not moving to a different country", Ten reminded him like it was the easiest thing in the world, "that doesn't mean we can't see each other anymore."

"It doesn't?", Kun repeated and seeing Ten's smile sparked a small flame of hope somewhere deep inside him. He didn't know for how long it had already been simmering.

"Of course not. I'm not going anywhere."

And as if to prove his point, Kun dropped his arms and let go of Ten willingly.

"Good, now stop worrying over nothing", Ten continued and cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly, like everything they'd been talking about was only starting to feel real now that they weren't holding on to each other anymore.

He didn't meet Kun's eyes when he made to grab his backpack again and said with a sense of finality: "You deserve to have good things happen to you."

There was no weight tied to Kun anymore in the shape of a new binding work contract. With all the pent up energy and emotion he had been holding back suddenly set free, he felt like he could finally believe everything Ten said to him regardless of whether it was wrapped in pretty words or teasing compliments.

Ten who was genuinely, or pretended to be, unaware of the meaning his words held for Kun was looking through his bag in search for his keys to the front door. The parallel of this situation to an older memory wasn't lost on Kun. He'd watched Ten disappear through that door once without doing what he should have maybe already done a long time ago.

"I hear there's a nice bar around here close to the campus", he said finally, "would you like to go there sometime?"

"Sure, I heard that place is great too", Ten laughed but did him the favour of joining in on the banter, "should we invite Yangyang?"

"Actually, I was thinking it could just be the two of us."

That caused Ten to freeze and meet Kun's gaze again at last.

"Are you... trying to ask me out?"

"Maybe", Kun said and crossed his arms across his chest, "depends on what would be your answer."

Ten was looking at him like this was the most unbelievable part of their whole conversation yet.

"Obviously I would say yes", he replied after a split-second, "did you miss the part where I flirted with you for like two months?"

"You could've been joking", Kun defended his hesitation. For some reason that only seemed to confuse Ten even more.

"Really? Was me calling you baby not enough of a giveaway?"

"You say that to Yangyang all the time", Kun argued back but instead of being genuinely irritated by it, he felt a sense of familiarity that he'd been afraid he would lose.

"Well, what did you expect me to do?", Ten asked at his wit's end now, "kiss you in front of all our co-workers?"

The relief Kun felt at Ten's reactions spurred him on to take it just one step further: "I mean it didn't have to be in front of our co-workers."

The finger Ten jabbed at his chest accusingly then landed right where his heart was.

"You're unbelievable", he complained loudly, "I can't believe you act like this now when just five minutes ago you basically tried to break up with me before we even started dating. You -"

He didn't get to finish his sentence before Kun reached out and dragged him into an almost bone-crushing hug. Finally, Kun held him like he meant it with one arm around his waist and his other hand resting on the back of his neck. And this time he didn't plan on ever letting go.

"I know. I'm the worst", he agreed but didn't even attempt to stiffle his quiet laughter.

They stayed like this for a few seconds or even minutes before Ten spoke up again: "You know you could have just said that you'll miss me at your new job. Sometimes it's not actually that hard to say what's on your mind."

Momentarily, Kun thought back on all the things he'd wondered about didn't speak out loud. There were many of them but the accompanying feeling wasn't as overwhelming anymore. With Ten in his arms he knew he had all the time in the world figure these things out in the future. Among them, one thought from that same evening still stood out to him though.

"Hey Ten", Kun all but whispered and he could feel the way the other hummed in reply where his lips were resting against his neck, "do you know how beautiful you are?"

* * *

The next time they arrived at work they found Yangyang idling around the reception area. Kun was about to let go of the hand he was holding instinctively, but Ten only moved his fingers slightly to intertwine them with Kun's instead.

"What a lovely morning it is today, right Yangyang?", Ten greeted him a little too enthusiastically and he received a suspicious glance in return.

"You're never this happy at 8am", Yangyang said and it sounded like an interrogation, "you need something from me. What is it?"

"I just need you to translate something for me into every language you know, maybe even spanish if possible", Ten asked of him inconspicuously, "how do I tell everyone that Kun is my boyfriend?"

They had imagined Yangyang's reaction to be partly genuine happiness for them but mostly annoyance over their now possibly even more obvious flirting, more likely than not also emphasised with some overexaggerated gagging noises. To their surprise, none of that came true and instead a knowing smile slowly spread over Yangyang's features. When he noticed their intertwined hands it only grew wider.

Despite his seemingly failed scheming, the outcome of it all didn't actually appear to bother him. He somehow looked like he had been expecting it.

"Él es mi novio", he supplied helpfully, "that's how you say it in spanish."

* * *

The credits of the movie they had been watching were rolling but neither of them could be bothered to move and reach for the remote to turn the TV off. Even if Kun wanted to, it was impossible while Ten was playing with the fingers of his left hand and used his right arm as a pillow.

"I don't want to go to work tomorrow", his boyfriend whined and pulled the warm, fuzzy blanket that was covering them both a little higher, "I hate it there now that Yangyang is gone too."

"I'm sure it won't be that bad", Kun replied conversationally as he was already used to the mood swings Ten complained about whenever he got sleepy.

"I think the new intern is genuinely scared of me."

A month or so after Kun had started his new position as an assistant producer Yangyang's internship at the language school came to an end too. After all, it was always only meant to be a means to an end that promised him an accredited report to meet the university's requirements. Ten knew that too but the thought didn't make him feel any better about being the only one left behind.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they were scared", Kun hummed thoughtfully but yelped when Ten poked his stomach in revenge.

"You're supposed to be on my side here", he reminded him, "and his name is Shotaro. I've been nothing but nice to him."

"He's not korean?", Kun took an educated guess based on the boy's name.

"No, he isn't", Ten confirmed and settled back down to lay his head on Kun's chest, "I was thinking I could try to refresh my japanese skills to talk to him more."

"You literally just started taking mandarin classes."

"Yeah and I won't join courses for any other languages", Ten shuddered at the thought of it, "dealing with the paperwork as both an employee and a student is a nightmare. Sometimes I ask myself why I even signed up for that one class."

"For me?", Kun teased and smiled that one smile he knew showed his dimples.

"Definitely not for you", Ten said but still turned his head to look at him, "I just have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge."

In some way, both of them were probably right. Over time Ten had developed a genuine interest in mandarin as a language but being able to receive private lessons from his boyfriend surely didn't hinder his efforts either.

"Of course, that's why you're one of the smartest people I know", Kun agreed easily and pressed a soft kiss to Ten's forehead to reassure him that he wasn't really lying just for the sake of teasing him.

"Hěn shuài", he added after a short pause and reveled in the way the corners of Ten's mouth quirked up almost instantly.

When Ten stayed quiet for a while Kun thought he might have fallen asleep. That was until he suddenly said something in thai and left Kun more than just a little confused.

"What did you say? You never speak thai to me", Kun asked and he only grew more curious when he realised Ten was avoiding to look into his eyes like he always did when he was feeling shy.

"That's not fair", he kept going because Ten didn't budge. When he moved away slightly to reach for his phone on the nighstand beside the bed his boyfriend finally honoured him with a reaction.

"Don't...", Ten said and clung to Kun with more strength, "I don't need you to reply to it. I just wanted to say it once."

Kun held the eye contact with Ten's pleading ones for a few seconds and then told him: "Alright, I won't look up what it means."

"Seriously? You give up that easily?", Ten asked and it seemed like no matter what the other would've done he couldn't be completely happy with it.

"I'm not giving up. I'm just respecting the boundaries you set."

"There you go again, being all considerate and understanding", Ten huffed and moved up a little on the bed so they were lying on the same level and he could face him properly.

"Do you not want me to be those things?", Kun laughed and brushed a strand of hair away from Ten's eyes.

"No", the latter sighed into the small space between their faces, "go ahead and use your online translator. But if the result makes no sense I'm not helping you."

Once Kun had opened the translator, Ten repeated the phrase slowly. This time he didn't look away from Kun for even a second.

The robotic sounding voice of his phone read out the mandarin translation: "I think I love you."

And Kun knew immediately that he needed Ten to understand that he loved him too. There was no question about it, no why or how or when. He loved Ten and the only thing that was standing between them in that moment was a language barrier he'd thought he had overcome a long time ago. Within one second at least five different version of that most simple sentence he wanted to say flickered up in his mind but none of them felt right. If he counted them, there were probably about three more languages in which they would both at least understand those three famous words. When he could see Ten grow nervous at his lack of a reaction he briefly even considered trying to repeat the thai phrase saved on his phone.

It seemed that no matter how many languages he learned in his life he still didn't know how to translate his feelings into words. None of the languages would have held the same meaning for both Ten and him.

So when Ten smiled sadly, Kun decided to speak in the only way he knew how to. He kissed him with a desperation and love that no words in the world could express. Their lips moved against each other in familiar ways, in patterns and moves that Kun had been allowed to map out over the past weeks. But for the first time he could name the meaning that spoke through the small gasp that escaped Ten and the soft laugh he let out when they pulled apart. Kun was so happy he felt like he could sing in whatever strange language they had created between each other.

"You're not going to say it back?", Ten asked then and the teasing tone of it fit the melody of their unspoken words so well that Kun could've kissed him again.

"I just did", Kun corrected him before he kissed him again, simply because he could.

And he saw it in Ten's smile and felt it where his hand rested over Kun's heart: How nice it was to be understood.

**Author's Note:**

> Ich könnte dich Liebling nennen - I could call you darling/love  
> Dein Lächeln ist schön - Your smile is beautiful  
> Du siehst heute besonders gut aus - You look especially good today  
> Él es mi novio - He's my boyfriend  
> Hěn shuài - Very handsome/smart (i think)
> 
> honestly i got so attached to this au that i just hope someone else enjoys it too! if u have any feelings at all about this pls do let me know through kudos or comments  
> i'd really love to hear your thoughts on this story  
> also english isnt my first language, my brain kept jumping between languages for this one and i'm posting it at 7am without getting any sleep so: do let me know if theres anything i should fix
> 
> (unlikely btw but in case any of u read my ongoing dojae fic i promise i didnt abandon it i'm just struggling a little with life rn)


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